The "Naughty" Horse.

The longer I work with horses and people, the stronger my belief grows that there’s no such thing as a “naughty” horse.

The closest you can get to a horse “misbehaving” is a horse that simply doesn’t want to do a certain task. And yet.. even then.. if you ask yourself the question “why?” You start to begin to understand that it’s never ‘just because’

Because it’s not just that the horse decided it ‘doesn’t want to’. But It’s because they can’t.

Physically, they’re struggling, or the rider is being confusing/contradicting with their cues, or the handler is causing the issue, or the horse is fearful etc.

Horses are rather "peace-loving" animals, they prefer avoiding conflict and want to work with people and try to please them, even in less-than-ideal situations.

So whenever a horse is "misbehaving" or "uncooperative" there’s always a reason for that horse's behaviour.

And you know what? So often it’s people causing the problem.

The top 3 reasons for horses not doing a task being asked of them are:

1. The rider/handler

2. Pain, Discomfort, Physical Limitations

3. The horse simply doesn’t know/understand

Let’s start with Nr 3.

These are the cases, where the horse isn't responding as wanted, simply because the horse has not been taught the wanted response. Either they were taught the wrong thing, they were taught differently, or they were never shown in the first place.

Your horse isn't responding to a leg aid? Consider that the horse doesn't know what your leg aid means.

Your horse isn't standing still while tied? Chance is, they were never asked to stand still.

Your horse isn't disobedient. They are confused. And the solution to this is to quite simply: teach them the correct response, not by punishing the wrong answers, but by guiding them and reinforcing the response you wish to see instead.

Nr. 2

There is a vast number of horses out there who are experiencing some form of pain, discomfort, or are physically limitations in what they can do.

Now there is a wide range of causes for these Symptoms. Some of these can be helped, some cannot. However, a vast majority of cases where a horse appears to be "naughty" or simply disobedient are due to the horse experiencing discomfort or even pain whenever it is asked to respond to a request.

Arthritis, lack of Muscle, Joint Pain, Hoof Issues, Nutritional Deficiencies, and Conformational Faults, are just a few examples that can cause a horse's inability to respond to a rider's or handler's request.

So if your horse isn't responding how you want them to, consider that they are physically unable to do so. Find the cause, and you'll find your solution.

Nr. 1

Many cases of a horse labled "naughty", "sassy", ill-behaved etc. are quite simply because the handler/rider is causing the problem, or is inhibiting the horse from responding how the humans wants them to respond.

This is such an important point to remember. IF your horse doesn't have pain/discomfort, and they are familiar with the task you are asking them to do. There is a very high chance that the problem lies with the person handling the horse. Especially, If the problem seems to disappear when a different person handles the horse.

A worried horse can go from nervous, to explosive on the trail if the rider responds inappropriately to a horse spooking at something.

A soft horse can become stiff and uncooperative if a rider gives conflicting signals, or is unbalanced during a lesson

A horse can become barn-sour if the handler is anxious themselves.

Now, while these three reasons aren't the only reasons why a horse is "misbehaving", all of this is to say that there is no such thing as a horse who isn't cooperating, simply because of their character.

Labels such as "naughty", "sassy", "just a mare", "being a dick", "chestnut attitude" "rude" etc. are all about blaming the horses' character. All this does is dismiss the real problem, and it ends with a situation where zero change occurs and an unhappy horse.

Instead of dismissing the reasons as characteristics of the horse's personality, let's start asking our question: "Why?" and create a happy, willing, and confident horse that is safe and responsive.